Which school system you prefer for your child, public or private

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Hello! Please remember that my responses are informational only, we are not establishing a therapeutic relationship.

Thanks for asking your question at Just Answer.

My response to your question is --"It depends on the child." I think that it also depends on the situation of the family. Ideally speaking, the school and the style of school should fit the child's needs and personality.

Some of the issues are obvious: Private schools cost money --and the range of the cost is tremendous (Catholic schools seem to be the most economical of private schools). Even if the school is wonderful, if the cost of it stresses out the parents or if they have to work extra hours to pay for it, the stress and absence of parents could counteract the benefit of the school in the life of the child.

There may also be the issue of location --I've heard of families driving quite a distance for their child to attend a particular school --and that needs to be able to fit in with the needs/abilities/lifestyle of the family. Some families would not do well having a long drive in the morning!

Other issues: Private school can have some benefits that result from their independence. They don't have the same regulations and procedures that govern public schools so they are sometimes able to offer curriculum and experiences that a public school cannot. ---the most obvious one being religious education. If it is a value to you to have faith/theology be part of your child's education, then the choice might be obvious. Other benefits----private schools sometimes offer a more specialized curriculum than public schools. However, keep in mind that in the public school there do exist Charter schools, Magnet schools, and in some states, even public home schooling!

The child's learning style, social needs, academic interests, extra curricular interests would all be a factor in choosing a school. If a child has a learning disability, for example, would a private school help address that or would the services offered at the public school better serve that child? It really depends on the particular school.

Sometimes the best way to pick is to visit the potential schools, observe, and ask a lot of questions of staff and parents.

In my case, we are in the public school system --the teachers seem excellent,they communicate readily with parents, the workload and style of teaching seems to fit my children's learning style, the community is mid-size (many families know each other and we know what our kids are up to). If any of these factors change, I would be first in line to change to private school.

Hello and thank you for consulting Just Answer. I would like to offer some additional insight. I attended a private school from third to twelfth grades. At a private school, class size is smaller, more interpersonal interactions with teachers exist, many are tailored toward providing a rigorous college prep curriculum, out of the box extra curricular and sporting activities exist, and there is more of a family type feeling. However, some private schools do not even require teachers to have teaching credentials but rather have majored in their area of expertise...although this is becoming rare. Additionally, private schools have less behavior problems because those students can easily be kicked out. Nonetheless children at a private school with learning disabilities may have a more difficult time getting the services that they need. However, I was glad I went to a private school because I was well prepared for college academically but socially private school sheltered me from the real world. On the other hand, I have decided to send my own children to public schools because of the cost and the quality of the schools. Nowadays a private school can cost as much as college tuition. The public schools that my children attend are in safe neighborhoods, the teachers are highly qualified, the test scores are high, the curriculum is rigorous and challenging, there are a range of ethnicities represented, and most all of the students continue on to college. Thus, I would advise you to weigh the good and the bad of specific schools that you are interested in. Public schools can be great! Private schools are costly! If private schools are your only alternative, then take that route. But as a public school teacher with 3 sons in the system, I am happy with my sons in their public schools.

If you have further specific questions, please let me know and direct them to me, Jordan1314. What grade would your child be attending private or public school? What type of school are they attending now? What are your concerns about a private or public school setting? Just some questions you may want to ponder.:)

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